Diagon Alley, London, 2/14/1993, 23:14
Tonks and Hestia appeared by portkey in the middle of absolute chaos. The air was filled with smoke and the pungent aroma of burning potion ingredients coming from the apothecary that was still smouldering. Ministry aurors were running about trying to contain other buildings that were aflame on the high street and medi-witches were treating dozens of wounded in front of Ollivanders.
However, the most notable damage to the alley was Gringotts, where the whole front half of the bank was completely gone. Even from where she stood, Tonks could see the gruesome scene in the bank lobby. There were severed body parts from dozens of goblins mixed in with the rubble strewn across the floor, setting a rather gruesome scene of the once grand bank.
"What the bloody hell happened here?" Tonks exclaimed as she turned away from the carnage that was Gringotts and glanced over at Hestia, who also seemed to have spotted the lobby.
"No idea, but I can bet anything the goblins will be on the warpath," Hestia muttered as she turned from the bank, looking troubled.
"That's putting it lightly, Jones," Mad-Eye barked, causing both cadets to jump in surprise.
"This could start another rebellion," Tonks muttered as she turned to face her instructor.
"It very well might, lass," Mad-Eye agreed as he slowly led them toward what remained of the apothecary.
"What happened here, sir?" Hestia asked as she looked towards the bank again.
"We're still getting witness statements, but from what we've heard, old noseless blew up the bank and then his death eaters showed up to wreck the alley," Moody scowled.
"Have the goblins made contact since the ministry arrived?" Tonks asked as she continued to take in her surroundings.
"No, they can't. From what we know, the tunnels leading to their underground city collapsed, trapping most of them in the caverns," Moody admitted.
"And we can't help them because of the treaty of seventeen twelve," Hestia said softly.
"Exactly. If we attempt to enter those tunnels even to dig them out, then it would be considered an act of war," Moody said, giving Hestia an approving nod.
"They'll already be hacked off with us for tonight," Tonks snorted as the three of them came to a stop by the apothecary.
"Aye, the goblins don't distinguish between death eaters and aurors. They will just see this as a wizard attack on the goblin nation," Moody said as another portkey arrived, delivering more cadets from the academy.
"How many were killed?" Hestia asked.
"Our estimates are as high as sixty goblins though thankfully, no people were killed," Moody shrugged.
"And that'll just piss the goblins off even more," Tonks said as she accepted one of the bottomless cleanup bags that Moody offered her and Hestia.
"Right in one, the shit is going to hit the fan over this," Moody agreed.
"So what do you want us to do, Sir?" Hestia questioned, taking the bag her instructor offered.
"I want you two to process the apothecary, get the basic information; what curse was used, how many attackers were involved, and the like. Then you can clean this mess up as best you can and seal up the building," Moody instructed.
"Sir, I can already tell that they used a dark flame spell here. Anything that was damaged cannot be repaired," Tonks pointed out.
"Aye, but some of the potion ingredients are still undamaged and could cause further complications if we do not take measures to seal the shop up," Moody elaborated.
"Yes sir," Tonks said as she drew her wand and approached the destroyed shop.
"Be careful, you two. The owner mentioned having a stock of erumpent extract that didn't go off in the fire," Moody warned.
"Bloody hell!" Tonks exclaimed, knowing exactly how explosive that particular substance was.
"Just be very gentle when you clear the debris, and you"ll be fine," Moody assured them before he stomped off to assign the next pair of cadets a building to clean up.
Tonks and Hestia began the tedious process of casting spells over the rubble of the apothecary that checked for any signs of foreign magic and then documented any magic they discovered in their notepads
The simple ingredients on display in the shop itself had all been incinerated in the fire. Thankfully the expensive, rare, or otherwise dangerous ingredients were not on display and were in a warded room in the back of the shop that had protected them from the dark fire curse. Once the two cadets had ascertained that the rare ingredients were undamaged (which included the erumpent extract), they sealed the warded room off.
Then began the cleanup process, which was pretty straightforward. They went through the shop room by room, clearing away the debris and placing it in the bottomless bags Mad-Eye had given them. They did their best to vanish the soot and ash from the walls. Finally, they sealed up the windows with conjured stone and transfigured a temporary door with a sign affixed to it to deter anyone from entering the shop.
NO ADMITTANCE by order of the Ministry of Magic!
"I'll be glad when we're no longer on clean-up duty," Hestia muttered as she turned away from the boarded-up shop.
"Tell me about it. I feel like the auror corp's maid," Tonks snorted as she wiped some sweat from her forehead.
"Tonks, Jones! Front and centre!" They heard a voice bellow from near the second-hand clothes store.
Both ladies hurried towards where they heard their instructor's voice, finding him examining the destroyed clothing shop.
"The apothecary is sealed up, sir," Tonks said as she and Hestia came to stand in front
"Good, but just because you've finished with the apothecary doesn't mean there is time to laze about," Moody exclaimed as he eyed the cadets.
"We had just finished when you bellowed, sir," Hestia barked, not completely able to suppress her annoyance at the grizzled auror.
"Well done, Jones. Now I want you two to clean this mess up," Moody barked as he gestured to the decimated second-hand shop.
"Yes sir," they barked in unison.
"And if you get that sorted out, start on the candy store," Moody added before he stomped over to Meyers and his partner to give them a telling-off for joking when they should be working.
The rest of the night went in this vain; the aurors moved around getting witness statements and processing the hard evidence. Then the cadets would search for evidence as they processed the scene one shop at a time.
It was almost three in the morning before Mad-Eye had all the cadets lineup to take hold of the portkey that would take Them back to the academy.
As Tonks took hold of the rope portkey and stood shoulder to shoulder with her classmates, she couldn't help but dread their morning wake-up call which would happen in less than two hours.
She also couldn't wait to be out of the academy so she could be the one solving the crimes and not the poor sod cleaning up after the crime.
As she felt the pull behind her navel, Tonks got one last look at the alley. True, it looked much better than when she arrived but it still looked awful with half of the shops boarded up ruins of their former selves.
Tonks couldn't help but wonder how big of a deal this was going to be once it hit the papers tomorrow. Those thoughts were put to an end when she was sucked into the blue vortex and transported back to the academy, her thoughts moving to her desire to catch a few hours sleep before getting up for her morning P.T.
Peverell Manor, Leeds, 2/15/1993, 09:13
Harry was sitting at the dining room table tucking into his breakfast.
Last night he had let the kids stay with Andromeda while he and Bella had gone to the cinema in London and had a romantic evening of sorts.
They had seen Bram Stoker's Dracula, and just like the last time they had gone to see a film together, they left feeling very... Perplexed. The film itself was pretty good but there was something familiar about Dracula that Harry couldn't quite put his finger on. The man looked very similar to Sirius, and the resemblance was almost scary.
Harry was pulled from these thoughts as the morning paper appeared by his plate courtesy of Jangles and he lazily unfurled it, intent on checking the quidditch scores while he finished his eggs.
Harry did a doubletake as soon as he processed the words printed on the headline of the front page of the paper. He was completely gobsmacked and wondered how this could have possibly happened in a single night.
DIAGON ALLEY ATTACKED, HEART OF MAGICAL BRITAIN IN SHAMBLES!
GRINGOTTS DESTROYED, GOBLINS THREATEN NEW REBELLION!
Underneath the headline was a black-and-white picture of utter devastation. The bank was in ruins and the alle was shrowded in a haze of smoke and dust with most of the buildings on the high-street completely destroyed.
Harry immediately began to read through the article penned underneath that was penned by Rita Skeeter. He desperately hoped that this was her usual embellishments though the picture was a pretty good indicator that things were as bad if not worse than her article claimed.
"What's that look for?" Bella asked as she entered the kitchen, still dressed in her nightgown.
Harry glanced over at his wife and couldn't help but smile despite the situation. Bella was starting to show now that she was a little over five months along. Her stomach wasn't near as swollen as it was when she was pregnant with the twins but it was starting to become quite pronounced and she waddled a bit when she walked, which he found kind of cute.
"Voldemort blew up Gringotts last night," Harry said as he pointed to the paper.
"Unbelievable," Bella muttered as she came up behind him and began to read the article over his shoulder.
"I hope I still have some gold in that trunk of mine because we won't be able to access our vaults anytime soon," Harry muttered.
"You can access your vault from any branch of Gringotts the closest one is in Paris," Bella pointed out.
"There is still a travel ban in effect," Harry countered.
"There won't be for long," Bella smirked.
"Bugger, I bet that was why he blew up the bank," Harry muttered as the pieces fell into place.
"Probably. Though, this also ratchets up tensions between goblins and wizards and will cause the ministry months of trouble as they try and smooth this over," Bella mused as she took her seat beside him.
"That is if this doesn't become an international incident with the other branches of Gringotts," Harry mused.
"The banks in other countries cannot deny service to customers unless they have irrefutable evidence of wrongdoing thanks to the ICW treaty of eighteen forty-seven. The British branch of Gringotts is well within their rights to close their doors since the attack was directed at the bank and the goblins within but the other banks must remain open," Bella explained as she poured herself a cup of tea.
"I never paid much attention in history of magic class," Harry muttered as he went back to his breakfast.
"On rare occasions, it does come in handy," Bella shrugged
"I suppose I had better get back to the school. I have a class at ten thirty," Harry said after checking his watch.
He had been coming back home after his morning lessons with Harry and Draco since the start of the spring term. Harry had already arranged with the headmaster to adjust his schedule for the following school year so that he didn't have any morning classes since the new baby would be here in June.
"Are you doing the griffin lesson today?" Bella asked as she fixed herself a piece of toast with marmalade.
"I am. The Greeks sent me one of the adolescents that hatched at Hogwarts the year before last," Harry beamed.
"So I take it that means they aren't upset about Citrine anymore," Bella asked between bites of her toast.
"No. They even asked me to go to the reserve and do an extraction on the new basilisk over Easter," Harry grinned.
"Try not to bring a snake back with you this time," Bella giggled.
"No worries there. I have to run, but I'll be back by dinner," Harry said as he got to his feet.
"I'll be here," Bella assured him.
"Good, and try not to work yourself too hard," Harry said before placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Oh, Bella is taking it easy. Lupin has agreed to run productions until the baby gets here," Bella said, sounding touched by his concern.
Harry had been sceptical when Bella had informed him she had hired Remus Lupin to help her produce her line of razors. So far, he had been doing a magnificent job and took a lot of stress off of his wife, which Harry was very grateful for.
"Good, just keep him away from my niece," Harry said seriously before leaving his wife to her breakfast and ignoring the laughter that followed him into the hallway.
Harry's smile fell as soon as he heard the dining room door snap shut behind him. This attack on Gringotts was going to have major repercussions, and he could almost guarantee he would be receiving a summons to attend an emergency Wizengamot meeting before the week's end.
Bella's theory about the purpose of the attack made a lot of sense, but he wondered if that was all there was to it.
Harry also wondered how Voldemort had managed to destroy the bank's wards so easily, considering they were some of the strongest wards in the British Isles, except for perhaps Hogwarts. For all he knew, last night could have just been a test of a new weapon, and if that was the case, the weapon had definitely passed.
Harry remembered Sirius telling him that Voldemort had found a way to corrupt Adsila's gem. Was it possible that this was the weapon he had used to shatter the bank's wards last night? And if this weapon was powerful enough to destroy Gringotts' vaunted goblin wards, what's to stop it from breaking through the protections over Hogwarts?
These thoughts were still troubling Harry when he stepped into the floo to travel to Hogsmeade. He disappeared in a flash of green flames debating whether or not he should sit in on the next order meeting.
Hogshead Pub, Hogsmeade, 2/21/1993, 22:39
Tonks sat at a table in the back of the pub as she waited for Daciana to arrive so she could escort her to meet with the headmaster.
She had gotten special permission to leave the academy thanks to Mad-Eye pulling some strings, but all things considered, she would rather be back in her tent than meeting with a vampire in a dingy pub.
Tonks' attention was drawn to the door of the pub as she spotted a familiar blonde enter the room, and Tonks wasn't the only one who noticed. Daciana's arrival caught the attention of every eye in the bar, and Tonks didn't have to guess as to why that was.
Daciana was wearing a short black dress that showed off her long legs and very tall platform heels that made put her at almost six feet tall and accentuated her long sculpted legs even more. The top of the dress was sleeveless and had a deep 'V' cut that showed the valley and curves of her large breasts and ended just below her navel showing off a generous amount of creamy-white skin. Daciana's blonde hair fell in ringlets that framed her face to her shoulders. Her lips and mascara were a deep purple, almost black, giving her a sexy gothic look that was complimented by the spiked choker around her neck.
Tonks wasn't into girls bar her brief experimentations as a teenager, but she couldn't deny that the vampire looked very sexy as she sauntered over toward the table the pink-haired cadet was seated at.
"Nymphadora," Daciana said as she took a seat across from Tonks and gave her a dazzling smile that put her elongated canines on full display.
"You do know what inconspicuous means, don't you?" Tonks asked as she pulled a sucker from her pocket and offered it to the blonde.
"I do. What is this?" Daciana asked as she inspected the candy with interest.
"A blood-flavoured lollipop," Tonks shrugged.
"Really? I've heard of these but never tried one," Daciana mused as she unwrapped the sweet and popped it into her mouth.
"I figured it may help you relax during our meeting," Tonks shrugged as she finished the last of the butterbeer she had been sipping while waiting on her guest to arrive and rose to her feet.
"Where are we meeting?" Daciana asked as she hooked her arm through Tonks' and allowed the cadet to lead her out of the pub.
"The Shrieking Shack," Tonks said, a bit uncomfortable with the blonde holding her arm so firmly.
"And why is it called that?" Daciana asked, sounding perfectly at her ease.
Tonks thought about the story Sirius had told her as they began the trek toward the rundown shack on top of one of the hills overlooking the village. After a moment, she began recounting the story, hoping she remembered the details correctly.
"Years ago, a student attended Hogwarts. This student was bitten by a werewolf as a small child and had a monthly problem. The headmaster set up this shack for him to transform during the full moon in order to keep him contained while in his wolf form. So during every full moon, he would come to this shack, transform and stay there through the night. During his transformation, his howls and screams could be heard in the village and the villagers assumed that the shack was haunted by violent spirits. No one ever bothered to correct them," Tonks explained while Daciana continued to suck on her lollipop.
"How long ago did the mangy mongrel use the building?" Daciana asked after removing the candy from her mouth with an audible 'pop.'
"Going on fifteen years... I think," Tonks answered as they began to climb the hill.
"Good, the smell should have cleared out by now," Daciana said as she glanced sideways at the cadet.
"That's rich coming from a vampire," Tonks snorted.
"We may like the smell of decay, but my kind detest fleas and those mutts are always riddled with them," Daciana shrugged.
"Don't like the competition?" Tonks smirked.
"No," Daciana said, ignoring Tonks' jibe as the wind changed direction and Daciana's nostrils flared.
Tonks was surprised when the vampire came to a halt, and she turned to look at the blonde curiously. Daciana was turning her head this way and that as she focused on someone in grey robes standing near the tree line. Tonks could just barely make out the outline at the foot of the mountain that overlooked the village.
"It appears your bodyguard is with us tonight," Daciana said giving the cadet a knowing look.
"My bodyguard?" Tonks asked in confusion as the two began to climb the hill again.
"The Reaper. He watched over our last meeting as well," Daciana said as they neared the top of the hill.
"He was?" Tonks asked, genuinely surprised to hear this.
Though knowing her uncle, Tonks realised that it really shouldn't surprise her all that much. He had always been a bit overprotective of his kids, and he had always treated her like she was one of his children.
"I take it you had no idea you were being shadowed," Daciana questioned, her blue eyes boring into Tonks' own.
"No, otherwise I wouldn't have been so nervous on our last meeting," Tonks admitted.
"There are rumours the Reaper is a Peverell," Daciana said, watching her closely for a reaction.
"I doubt my uncle is the Reaper. The man is the most laid-back person I know," Tonks snorted, feeling a bit surprised at how easily the lie rolled off of her tongue.
"Your uncle is Harry Peverell?" Daciana demanded, looking almost alarmed.
"He is," Tonks nodded, feeling a little pleased with Daciana's reaction.
"I have been dying to meet that man since I heard the Peverell line had come back into prominence," Daciana said, her eyes lighting up with interest.
"You're already dead and my aunt is the jealous type, so I wouldn't try putting the moves on him," Tonks warned as they came to a stop in front of the shack.
"His wife was a death eater, was she not?" Daciana pressed, ignoring the barb about her state of being.
"She was but the Wizengamot found her not guilty," Tonks admitted before she reached up and knocked smartly on the shack door.
"Will you stay with me during the meeting?" Daciana asked, giving the auror an expectant smile.
Tonks sighed internally as they heard a floorboard creak inside the shack. She was not keen on the idea of attending the meeting or spending any more time with Daciana than she had to. If it helped with negotiations, she would stay, but she had no idea why Daciana would want her there other than to annoy her with more awkward questions.
"This meeting is a bit above my pay grade. I was just supposed to escort you here," Tonks said, hoping the vampire wouldn't press the matter further.
"Nonsense, it will help me to see a familiar face. You don't want me to be nervous, do you?" Daciana smiled, dashing her hopes.
Tonks was saved from answering the question as the door creaked open to reveal Albus Dumbledore standing on the other side, giving them both his patented grandfatherly smile and looking genuinely pleased to see them both.
"Ah, Miss Tonks and Miss Nicolae, right on time. Please come in. We have much to discuss," Dumbledore said in a jovial tone as he gestured for them to come in.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, it truly is a pleasure to meet you," Daciana said, giving the man a graceful curtsy after she had stepped into the shack.
"The same to you, Miss Nicolae though I do wish it wasn't under the current circumstances," Dumbledore said, his smile dropping slightly.
Tonks couldn't help but notice that with her shoes, Daciana stood pretty close to the same height as the headmaster and made her wonder if that was the vampire's purpose for wearing them in the first place. Any more observations were forgotten as the vampire pulled her into the shack to join the meeting.
"Please join me by the fire. We may as well be comfortable for this discussion," Dumbledore said before leading the two women into the main room, where a fire was burning merrily in the grate.
"I hope you don't mind if Nymphadora stays for our meeting. I'm becoming quite fond of her," Daciana asked as she took a seat in one of the two over-stuffed armchairs that were positioned in front of the fire.
"That is no problem at all," Dumbledore assured her as he lazily flicked his wand, causing a third chair to appear in between the two chairs that were already there.
Tonks had to fight a chuckle when she saw the third chair was upholstered in cloth the same shade of pink as the cadet's hair.
"Please have a seat, Miss Tonks," Dumbledore smiled.
Tonks took the offered chair, feeling a bit disappointed she couldn't simply leave after escorting Daciana but resigned herself to sitting through this meeting.
"Now, Miss Nicolae, as I am sure you've guessed, the British ministry is not pleased you have agreed to come to the British Isles," Dumbledore started.
"The mass slaughter of my kind gave me a clue," Daciana agreed.
"Yes, well the vampire numbers were getting to a point that the muggles were starting to notice," Dumbledore sighed.
"New vampires do not have their faculties of reason until their hunger is satisfied. This is what causes the large numbers in a very short amount of time," Daciana explained.
"I know the covens of Romania usually don't condone such methods," Dumbledore mused.
"No, Vlad was always very particular about who he chose to turn and made preparations to prevent a newly turned vampire from creating more," Daciana agreed before sucking on her blood pop.
"And the incidents last summer were at Tom's behest?" Voldemort questioned.
"They were. He promised us magical blood in exchange for our services, but he has yet to truly uphold that promise," Daciana admitted.
"From my observations, he seems to be trying to spare witches and wizards since his return, the attacks in Diagon Alley show he is going to great lengths to not kill witches and wizards," Dumbledore confided.
"Are you saying he will not follow through with the promise?" Daciana questioned, sounding almost amused.
"Well, there are certain people he wishes killed, myself amongst them, but that number is probably smaller than the coven you brought here from Romania," Dumbledore chuckled.
"So what is it you're offering?" Daciana asked, not looking upset at the man's words.
"Blood," Dumbledore said simply as he removed a potion's vial filled with dark red liquid and offered it to the vampire.
"What kind of blood?" Daciana asked as she studied the vial with undisguised excitement.
"That vial was donated by myself," Dumbledore smiled before reaching into his pocket and removing a gallon jug filled with the same colour liquid.
"And that?" Daciana asked.
"My potions master developed a unique potion that will turn a vial like the one you are holding into much larger quantities," Dumbledore said as he offered her the jug.
Tonks watched Daciana pull the cork out of the jug and dip her pink inside the opening enough to collect a few drops before bringing her finger to her mouth. The vampire's eyes widened in surprise and she actually trembled slightly as she savoured the taste.
"It's real," Daciana whispered in a breathy voice.
"Oh quite, Severus altered the recipe for the blood replenisher potion to create fresh blood," Dumbledore assured her.
"What is it you want from my coven," Daciana asked, seeming to be struggling to get control over herself.
"Neutrality, stop helping Tom and stop attacking the muggle cities," Dumbledore answered easily.
"We would be more than willing to agree to your terms, but there are certain complications that would make it difficult to withdraw our support from the dark lord," Daciana sighed.
"The village of Little Hangleton?" Dumbledore asked shrewdly.
"Yes. I was hoping the village could remain untouched by the wizarding world," Daciana confessed.
"And Tom is well aware of its existence with it being a stone's through from his headquarters," Dumbledore nodded in understanding.
"Exactly. He has already placed wards over the village in exchange for soldiers," Dacians agreed.
"Ah, that attack earned your kind another enemy. The goblins are quite upset about vampires slaughtering their kin and there are no treaties protecting your kind as there are for witches and wizards," Dumbledore said matter-of-factly.
"I was not aware that he would use those fighters to slaughter goblins," Daciana sighed looking annoyed.
"I assumed as much. I might be able to offer the village some protection. Sadly, with that weapon Tom has allowing him to blast through wards, there is only so much protection that I could give them," Dumbledore sighed.
"Are you not concerned he will use that weapon against the wards of your school?" Daciana asked.
"I am very concerned about that but I doubt he well ever attempt to as long as I am inside the castle," Dumbledore admitted.
"Why not?" Tonks asked speaking up for the first time since taking her seat.
"The horned serpent gem he used to shatter the bank's wards draws a very large amount of his magic to power it and he would never face me in a weakened state," Dumbledore said without hesitation.
"I see the stories I've heard about your cunning are not exaggerated," Daciana smirked.
"It is always wise to know how your enemies think," Dumbledore said his eyes twinkling in the flames from the fireplace.
"I will bring your proposition to my sisters but I cannot make a decision without a vote," Daciana said as she stared hungrily at the vial in her hand.
"I assumed that we would not reach an agreement this quickly" Dumbledore nodded his understanding.
"You certainly surprsed me this evening," Daciana said not looking away from the vial of blood.
"You can of course keep both of those samples, take them back to your coven to prove the sincerity of our offer," Dumbledore continued
"That shows an enormous amount of trust on your part," Daciana said.
"Not as much as it appears. My blood was purified so that it cannot be used in any rituals, blood locks and the like. The blood has to be purified and striped of certain qualities before it can be reproduced in the potion. This ensures that no impurities ruin the blood and also prevents it from being be used against the donor for nefarious purposes," Dumbledore explained.
"Well, I wouldn't waste blood embued with this much magic for anything other than consumption," Daciana assured him.
"Of that, I never had any doubt," Dumbledore smiled.
"I believe I shall return home. I have a rather long flight ahead of me," Daciana said, rising to her feet.
"I am sure Nymphadora would gladly apparate you to your home," Dumbledore offered, much to Tonks' irritation.
"Yeah, I could run you home," Tonks nodded as she reluctantly got to her feet.
"Oh, that would be lovely," Daciana beamed as she took Tonks' hand and guided her towards the door.
"Alastor wishes you to see him when you return to the academy," Dumbledore said as he stood and vanished the conjured chairs.
"Alright," Tonks nodded.
"Until we meet again, Miss Nicolae," Dumbledore bowed as the two ladies stepped out of the shack into the chilly night air
"That went better than I expected," Daciana admitted as soon as the door shut behind them.
"I had no idea he was going to give you a jug of blood," Tonks snorted.
"I don't suppose you would care to donate a sip or two?" Daciana teased.
"No, I don't even like it when Charlie gives me a love bite," Tonks admitted.
"Charlie?"
"My boyfriend," Tonks answered as they began their walk back towards the village so they could clear the wards over the Shrieking Shack.
"What does he do?" Daciana asked, sounding genuinely interested.
"He's a dragon handler," Tonks said, a fond smile playing on her lips.
"Oh, that sounds exciting. Is he handsome?" Daciana pressed.
"Very," Tonks nodded as they crossed the wardline.
"I have had several lovers over the centuries but I always preferred a tall, dark-haired man," Daciana mused.
"Charlie has red hair. Are you ready to apparate?" Tonks asked as she came to a stop halfway down the hill.
"I am. Please be gentle, I've never been a fan of apparating," Daciana requested as she tightened her grip on Tonks' arm.
"Don't worry, I've trained in side-along apparition so much, I could do it in my sleep," Tonks assured her.
Getting a nod from Daciana, Tonks turned on the spot and concentrated on the first place she had met her companion.
As she disappeared with a soft 'pop,' Tonks caught the faintest glimpse of a man in grey hooded robes watching her from near the Shrieking Shack.
History of Magic Classroom, Hogwarts, 3/1/1993, 11:39
Harry sat listening with rapt attention as Professor Binns explained the gruesome details of previous goblin rebellions.
Goblin rebellions had been the main topic of conversation since the attack on Gringotts. The fact that the bank had remained closed was troubling to everyone. With the bank shut down, people couldn't access their vaults, employers couldn't pay their employees, and shops couldn't sell their goods and services. This meant that the magical economy had ground to a halt overnight.
That wasn't even factoring in the possibility of the goblins retaliating as they had been known to do if even half of what Binns told them was true.
Harry was pulled out of these troubling thoughts as the bell rang, and he hastily gathered his things up and fell in with his classmates to go to lunch.
"That is the most attentive that I have ever seen you in that class, Harry," Hermione said as they stepped into the hallway.
"He's not exactly the only one actually paying attention," Susan pointed out.
"Well, those dry goblin rebellions lectures are a lot more compelling when we're right on the brink of another one," Harry shrugged.
"I doubt there will be another rebellion, but the ministry will have to bend over backwards to appease the goblins," Daphne cut in.
"Alright, I am sick of hearing about goblins and gold," Susan huffed.
"I am too, come to think of it," Harry muttered as they began descending the stairs.
"I heard we get to choose our electives over Easter," Hermione said, looking thrilled at the prospect of more classes.
"I will definitely be taking care of magical creatures," Daphne said, her cheeks flushing pink at the smirk Susan shot her way.
"You and every other girl in our year," Hermione giggled.
"I heard Professor Peverell has to take off his shirt during the merfolk demonstrations," Susan said, causing the other two girls to flush and giggle at the dreamy look on Susan's face.
"Alright, I've had enough of this," Harry muttered as he sped up to walk with Ronand and Dean.
"Those three run you off, mate?" Dean asked.
"Yep, I don't want to hear them gossiping about shirtless professors," Harry muttered irritably.
"I don't know, I wouldn't mind seeing Sinistra shirtless," Ron chortled.
"Fair point, but they were talking about Professor Peverell," Harry scowled as the three of them entered the great hall.
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to hang about for that conversation either," Dean nodded, having to step around a sixth-year Hufflepuff girl in order to make it to the Gryffindor table.
"So, how are you feeling about the match this weekend?" Ron asked with interest as the three of them took seats across from Seamus.
"They've got two good players, we've got seven," Harry smirked, ignoring the scowls he got from students at the Hufflepuff table.
"Macavoy is really good. You saw how she took on the Ravenclaw chaser line almost single-handedly," Ron said between mouthfuls of shepherd's pie.
"And Diggory is pretty good but he's not aggressive enough," Seamus cut in.
"Maybe he just had a thing for Chang and was trying to be gentleman," Dean suggested.
"Well our chaser lineup is going to have their hands full with Macavoy, so you'd best catch the snitch in a hurry," Ron advised.
"No worries, the badgers won't have a chance to score before I catch the snitch," Harry said between bites of his lunch.
"Could you lot talk any louder?" a female voice called from the Hufflepuff table.
Harry turned in his seat to see Hannah turned around in her own seat to glare at him from the Hufflepuff table.
"Are you spying on us, Abbott?" Harry smirked.
"No, I'm trying to enjoy my lunch, but the bilge wafting over from you four is ruining my appetite," Hannah shot back with a teasing grin.
"Feel free to ignore us," Harry shrugged, feeling his cheeks heat up when she smiled at him.
"It's almost impossible to ignore you lot disparaging the noble Hufflepuff team," Hannah quipped before she turned back to her plate and went back to eating
"You look flushed, Potter," Ron smirked.
"Shut it, Weasley," Harry scowled, feeling his face getting even redder much to his annoyance.
"So, have you heard about the Wizengamot meeting?" Seamus asked, looking just as amused as Ron was.
"No, have they finally called for a meeting, then?" Harry asked, latching onto the change of subject.
"Lavender said they are having an emergency meeting this Friday. It would have been last Friday but the minister was stuck negotiating with the goblins," Seamus elaborated.
"About time. If they waited any longer, there would be riots in Diagon Alley," Ron exclaimed.
"There still might be," Harry muttered.
"Mum said there have been a lot of incidents where wizards are cheating muggles out of those pond things so they can buy food in muggle shops," Ron added before taking a massive bite of Shepherd's pie.
"Pounds, not ponds," Harry corrected.
"Well, whatever they're called, the muggles are starting to notice something's going on," Ron continued.
"I wish they could just arrest that wanker and have done with it," Dean muttered, looking alarmed at the current topic of conversation.
"If only they could," Harry muttered darkly.
They all descended into silence for a moment as they ate, each worrying about the Gringotts' issue for slightly different reasons. Finally, Harry decided a more cheerful topic was needed and brought up another subject that had been on his mind a lot lately.
"So what classes are you lot taking next year?" Harry asked after swallowing his last bite of shepherd's pie.
"Care of magical creatures for sure," Dean said and got a grunt of agreement from Ron and Seamus.
"Same here. I was also considering ancient runes," Harry admitted while he served himself a large portion of treacle tart.
"Same. A lot of runes involve drawing and I was always good at sketching," Dean admitted.
"From what the twins told me, there is a lot of sketching involved in creatures, too," Ron added.
"I was thinking of taking divination," Seamus said, looking thoughtful.
"Sirius says that class is a waste of time unless you have the gift," Harry said.
"I reckon I could fake it," Ron shrugged.
"Why bother, though? I've heard the divination classroom is all the way at the very top of the North Tower. Do you have any idea how many staircases it would take to get there?" Harry asked.
"Right, maybe I'll give muggle studies a look," Ron muttered.
"I still think the class could be interesting," Seamus shrugged as he glanced down the table at Lavender.
Harry was saved from having to try and steer Seamus away from divination as the bell sounded over the hall, signalling that it was time to go to their evening classes.
"Great, double potions," Ron groaned as the sound of hundreds of students rising to their feet echoed around the hall.
"Tell me about it. I'm awful at potions," Dean muttered.
As the four of them walked towards the dungeons, Harry began to think that maybe he was better off hanging with blokes. There was a lot less girly talk involved.
Harry entered the potions classroom and took his usual seat next to Susan and prepared himself for two uncomfortable hours in the dimly lit dungeon with his least favourite teacher.